Stager and guide



0a. 13, 1953 w. F. WARD STAGER AND GUIDE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 3, 1949 WARREN f. WARD INVENTOR.

Oct. 13, 1953 w. F. WARD STAGER AND GUIDE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 3, 1949 Ham d o 0 o 0 o o o o oo WARREN I: WARD INVENTOR.

Patentecl Oct. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STAGER AND GUIDE Warren F. Ward, Dallas, Tex.

Application November 3, 1949, Serial No. 125,230

6 Claims.

This invention relates to stager pumps and more particularly to cups therefor having body portions which act as guides for the sucker rods. Heretofore in common practice the cups of the pump lungers have had to lift the entire column of liquid in wells and due to the great and ever increasing depths of oil wells in particular it has not proved profitable in many conditions to undertake the pumping operation-particularly due to the short life of the cups and to the great wear on the pump cylinders caused by the very great pressures at the bottom of the liquid column being lifted. Moreover, with the greater length of rod strings with the consequent increase in their weight, added to the weight of the production being lifted the kinks in rods and tubing, the crookedness of the wells themselves, etc. are all accentuated with resultant excessive wear on the tubing, the rods and the couplings. By my invention I greatly relieve these conditions in most cases and eliminate them entirely in many situations.

The invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the art from the following description together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. I is an elevational view of my cup guide.

Fig. II is a section along line 2--2 of Fig. I.

Fig. III is a section along line 3-3 of Fig. I.

Fig. IV is a section similar to that of Fig. III

but with a sucker rod in place.

Fig. V is a top plan view of Fig. I.

Fig. VI is a modified form of Fig. V.

Fig. VII is a side elevation of the top end section of Fig. I.

Fig. VIII is an elevation of the metal clip for my cup-guide, while Fig. IX is a section along 9-9 of Fig. VIII.

Fig. X is a cut-away view of a well casing showing the upstroke of a sucker rod equipped with my cup-guides.

Fig. XI is a view similar to Fig. X but showin a downstroke of the sucker rod.

Fig. XII shows a further modified form of my cup guide similar to the cup-guides of Fig. XI.

Proceeding now with the more detailed description wherein like references indicate similar parts, It is a spring metal clip provided with perforations II for facilitating the bonding thereto of an oil resistant rubber body or guide portion l2, which latter has an axial opening l3 of slightly smaller bore than the diameter of the sucker rod l4 to be received and gripped by the action of the spring clip as more particularly shown in Fig. IV. The flared back edges I5 of the clip serve to provide space for the perforations II as well as providing additional bonding area for the rubber and supporting the same when the guide is pressed onto the rod through slot 16 of the body of the cup-guide. The upper end of the cup-guide has an extended outwardly and upwardly flared cup ll of greater diameter than the body portion thereof. This upper flared or cup portion is cut or slotted as shown in Figs. 1, V, VI, VII, X, XI and XII as at [8. This provides a lip segment or tab 26 which may be held aside to more readily permit the cup-guide to be assembled or pressed onto the rod, but which will return to normal position when at rest as shown in Figs. I, V, VI and VII or when in the upstroke position as shown in Fig. X. On the down stroke position as shown in Fig. XI, segment 20 will rise to more readily permit the passage upwardly of the well fluid through slot I6. Flared portion ll forming the cup is normally of such outside diameter as to engage the well tubing under pressure of the fluid above it on the up stroke and thin and soft enough as to be displaced inwardly by the fluid when on the down stroke as in Fig. II permitting it to pass downwardly with only sufficient resistance to cushion or snub the fall of the rods 2| together with their couplings 22 and appurtenances through tubing 23.

I I prefer to make the body portion 12 of my cupguide of larger diameter than the diameter of the couplings 22 of the rod string with which they are being used as in this way the metal to metal contact of the reciprocating rod with the tubing is eliminated and since the rubber is lubricated by the well fluids a minimum of friction results during the pumping operation.

The operation is as follows: The cup-guide having been molded by a conventional method and cut at IS in its upper cup portion, segment 201s pulled aside and the cup-guide pressed onto rod 2| through slot iii. The spring clips now being under tension will securely anchor the cupguide on the rod until same is removed by pressure applied to the cup-guide in reverse to that above stated. The lower extension of the rod now is equipped with the conventional extensions including pump plunger and the usual sealing cups and additions made to the rod string as the assembly is lowered into pumping position in the well.

Depth of the well, condition of the tubing and the rod string, crookedness of the well bore, kinks in tubing and rods, etc. viscosity and specific gravity of liquids being lifted are factors indicating the proper number and spacing of my cupguides.

As above indicated, on the down stroke and with the standing valve closed in the bottom of the working barrel the upper cup portions I! will retract inwardly and permit the down passage of the cup-guide through the fluid. The segment 20 Will rise permitting passage of fluid througl'ifslo't I53 Tl'le"'(, 1 .1p portion; I3 being cut wardly of cup, while its expansion beyond nor:- mal size is limited by contact with the tubing. On the upstroke segment 20 is seated by tl enate ural tendency of the rubber to return to noi'inal' position and is held in seated positionfiylw'ight l5- of fluid above it. As is hege shown in the angle of the cut at l8 to"forin' segmentib is" such as to give a gripping seat or wedgifigfactlon. toward the center of the guide and about the e n; 2a.upstm seuwlii lii ep ss s e ur hs e ment) ntqv ositiQnL iurin l he qrtkr ns. rqk tr. ndas h wa t J 8 1 n. el

he u rtiq imayh e ut ont lelopnositel i e ii qt fii provi e.almorei eadi y flex g alve 1 e m nt fl whichlweulds l er l ss resist nce o, h l e 'lg y d s. as. t, was.deiiected1upwardt pe mits. mere-flee. y-pass pfifluidionz heid iwin strolge;

Inpracticethelcup extensiondength and hard:

ne wi l, est...be=varieddaccordin tothe fluid head; it is expected to lift oaths working-stroke -It will readily. kbelunderstoodlby those. skilled in the. aittt hatpbyt a propertspacin .of m .cu .-l guides along the rod string any ,portionofsthe.

load onsthe cups of .theppump mayberelievedand since the body: Oil the Tguide..is...larger tharLthe couplings the rod string and tubing may be held free, from contact throughouhanyupartllor all heirl n thas.desire -a With 4 the friction, and (lifting, loadsrelieved 40 supporting' eupfsa'id body having a substanuany C-shaped lower portion' 'iiicludifig"a'radially ex tending opening extendingthe"fulldehgth of s'a id v c-shaped person and commfinlcating withsaid bore," andsaid upper portionhaving a slit'disposed ldiagonfally. with respect to the 'axis of said bore and ex'tendingthrlough the annular periphery of the cup.into ,the .bore adjacent said openmg, a portion pf thepcupp contiguouslto the s1it; qmr is ne a tam nable- 9f, tflexingw enstowperl-h mitupward passage of liq1 1id l erep 1- and .Ofs

rod within a well casing, comprising a rubber body having a longitudinal bore therethrough, said body having an annular upper portion of enlarged diameter to seal outwardly against said casin and forming an upwardly facing liquid supporting cup, said body having a substantially C-shaped lower portion including a radially extending opening extending the full length of said Qs' lpatped ;'p o'rtioznv and cgriimup qgtin with said bore, andsaid upper portion having a slit dispgsed diagonally with respect to the axis of said bore and extending through the annular periphery logv the cup into the bore adjacent said opening; and a C -shaped spring clip embedded in the bodyJand-coaxial with said bore, the radially extendingppening in the clip registering with the radial opening in the body.

3; In: a; combination as set forth in claim 2, a portion of the cup contiguous with the slit m nsin tah ara ei r l a ass es a e mitt guard assa eton id ierepash ndwfesea ingt t -v .1 Q.-. r yentt eunw nk ak a pf l g -l-id-i io ywell equ ments ammfinedr isuide and,l uidsu mr inamember r. s .0n;asuqkea ed;- i hin, i ge-a a ina-l' ir a =.w.e1l.1 ompr n a ubbelczady aszi n mal er er uidemon enand ha in arseri war y i c x s nnur.

at 5 1 p rtmn, aclapten.to.v o tatthe CaSingi ai bovdylharin an ax al boretherethro l hrand a in .a .s adially xtendi g-seemin conunun eating with;. said;bo 1ze. alon the -full;length 0f, said body and adapted-tospermit fiexinaonen of theibe x eureceiveithe rodintheborerthe por:

tion of the opening located in said cupmortion; ei sc ias nal y umvardly enlarged-With z respect qatheiaxisini the bore, and afiexiblehtab nor.-

allx i seatin in ssaid diagonally venlarged.upon- 5 tion of the opening and secured to thewcupradja-l-l a l'or'igit dirial bore therethroughf entg-onehs da 03 said .ioneninal said :,tab..p venting o l waiais-passage of.theliquid past, the upigbutrfiexing sopen to. permit upward. passage .f-.the.l.iquid.therepasth 6. In a combinationaslasetoforthtin;claim- -5; a spring clip. embedded ins-the bodyharoundthe bore to clamp vthe body tightly onithe rod.-:

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